Aldo Grillo, President of the Thunder Bay chapter of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, says a large majority of teachers were in favour of the offer. Grillo says the union kept teachers informed throughout the process and the result of the vote wasn't a surprise.

He says teachers are relieved to have reached an agreement with the Board and are ready to get back to business as usual.

A major stumbling block in the negotiations between the Board and the union dealt with how seniority was prioritized when it came to hiring and transferring teachers within the Board. Grillo says they've made progress on that issue, and teachers are satisified that experience and seniority are acknowledged in the agreement.

A statement from OECTA also says local Catholic substitute teachers are now the only group without a contract with the Board, and that the two will soon head back to the table on that issue.